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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2024, Vol. 23 Issue (4): 1369-1380    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.018
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Integrating phosphorus management and cropping technology for sustainable maize production

Haiqing Gong1, Yue Xiang1, Jiechen Wu2, Laichao Luo3, Xiaohui Chen3, Xiaoqiang Jiao1#, Chen Chen1,4#

1 State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

2 Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden

3 Anhui Province Key Lab of Farmland Ecological Conservation and Pollution Prevention, School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China  4 Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science and Institute of Eco-Chongming, College of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China

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摘要  

在有限的环境影响下实现玉米高产和磷高效利用是玉米可持续生产面临的最大挑战之一。增加种植密度被认为是实现玉米高产的有效途径。然而,土壤中磷移动性低和磷矿资源稀缺阻碍了在高植物密度下同时优化磷利用和减轻磷相关足迹的方法的发展。本研究通过meta分析和物质流分析,评估了不同种植密度下不同类型磷肥对玉米产量的影响,并评估了磷从磷矿开采到用于玉米生产的磷的流动。在较高的种植密度下玉米产量显著高于较低的密度。与施用磷酸二铵和磷酸一铵相比,高密度玉米种植体系施用过磷酸钙、重过磷酸和钙镁磷肥具有更高的产量和更小的环境足迹。情景分析表明,将最佳磷肥品种和施用量与高密度种植体系相结合,玉米产量可提高22%。整个磷供应链的磷资源效率提高了39%,而与磷足迹减少了33%。因此,在玉米生产过程中,同时优化高密度条件下的磷肥品种和施用量,可以实现多目标协同,表明磷管理与种植技术相结合是实现玉米可持续生产的可行途径。这些发现为实现可持续农业发展提供了重要的选择。



Abstract  

Achieving high maize yields and efficient phosphorus (P) use with limited environmental impacts is one of the greatest challenges in sustainable maize production.  Increasing plant density is considered an effective approach for achieving high maize yields.  However, the low mobility of P in soils and the scarcity of natural P resources have hindered the development of methods that can simultaneously optimize P use and mitigate the P-related environmental footprint at high plant densities.  In this study, meta-analysis and substance flow analysis were conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of mineral P fertilizer on maize yield at varying plant densities and assess the flow of P from rock phosphate mining to P fertilizer use for maize production in China.  A significantly higher yield was obtained at higher plant densities than at lower plant densities.  The application of single super-phosphate, triple super-phosphate, and calcium magnesium phosphate at high plant densities resulted in higher yields and a smaller environmental footprint than the application of diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate.  Our scenario analyses suggest that combining the optimal P type and application rate with a high plant density could increase maize yield by 22%.  Further, the P resource use efficiency throughout the P supply chain increased by 39%, whereas the P-related environmental footprint decreased by 33%.  Thus, simultaneously optimizing the P type and application rate at high plant densities achieved multiple objectives during maize production, indicating that combining P management with cropping techniques is a practical approach to sustainable maize production.  These findings offer strategic, synergistic options for achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Keywords:  maize        plant density        mineral phosphorus fertilizer        meta-analysis        substance flow analysis

  
Received: 24 May 2023   Accepted: 11 September 2023
Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32301453 and 3272675), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M730682).
About author:  Haiqing Gong, E-mail: gonghq0805@126.com; #Correspondence Xiaoqiang Jiao, E-mail: xqjiao526@cau.edu.cn; Chen Chen, E-mail: chenchen_@fudan.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Haiqing Gong, Yue Xiang, Jiechen Wu, Laichao Luo, Xiaohui Chen, Xiaoqiang Jiao, Chen Chen. 2024.

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